When Brad Paisley started playing potential songs from his next album son of the mountain Universal Music Group Nashville President Cindy BuddShe told him, “Making music that matters, it’s not disposable.”
The gentle ballad “Same Here” was in the first batch he played her, and Paisley certainly had that message in mind. Celebrate our similarities regardless of where we are from or what language we speak, ending with audio of the conversation between this country’s superstar and the President of Ukraine. Volodymyr ZelenskyThe release date is no accident. Today marks her one year since Russia invaded her neighbor.
UMGN sent the track to the radio, but even Paisley, who hit number 12 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, was February’s “Freedom Was a Highway” with Jimmy Allen. But as he points out, “It’s a very country record,” with Jerry Douglas on dobro and Dan Tyminski on mandolin.
“label [was] I am aware that this is not going to be the best feel-good hit of the year, or even one that will work long-term on radio stations, and I have no intention of researching it. [well]Finally there is the speech, which must be present in any form in order to be presented.
He says UMGN is just an aid. “‘Okay, I have a new house. This is what I’m working on. On this very important day, I’ll have the first set up, and then I’ll paint a picture that I want to paint, and these other things will also work for you. And you can imagine how good that feels.”
Paisley’s move from Sony Music Nashville to UMGN’s EMI imprint was only announced earlier this week, but the deal actually happened nearly a year ago, and Paisley has been working on a new album for months. I was immersed in writing. He wrote “Same Here” shortly after the invasion with Lee Thomas Miller and Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith.
The war “really weighed on me,” says Paisley. “The night it started I was in the gym. I remember working out while watching the news. It was the most surreal scene, like all the taillights leaving Kiev. I’m touring Europe these days.” But when I look at it, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it looks like all the cities we play in.’ It was something I had never seen before in my life. ”
Paisley discussed running it on NBC’s All-Star special Ukraine: answer the phoneIt aired on July 3 and featured Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys and more. , she said she could get the song to some Ukrainians. Paisley first thought about the title refrain, which is sung several times in Ukrainian at the end. “Then I thought, ‘President Zelensky, would you mind talking to me for the last few minutes about how we’re doing the same thing?'”
For security reasons, Paisley declined to give any further details about how the song actually ended up in Zelensky’s hands (“I feel like I am. Bourne’s identity’” he says half-jokingly).
The Zoom date with Zelenskyy went back and forth quite a bit, but we decided to record the song’s conversations and finalize it so we could talk about United24, a charitable program to rebuild and restore Ukrainian homes ravaged by the current war. was scheduled. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the charities Paisley is an ambassador for. “We want to build housing for 4,200 people,” he says. “We rebuild what has been bombed. As you can imagine, it changes every day.”
Paisley stresses that he didn’t offer Zelensky the topic he didn’t need, but the two said we are all the same when it comes to loving family and country. We could have done the last 25 minutes of the song the same way, but we chose it by hand. [parts of the] A conversation that felt really relevant. I am very proud of what he said. He is really charismatic, serious and sincere. ”
After teaching Paisley how to say “same here” in Ukrainian, Zelensky says in the song: Yes, but I think we appreciate the same things – our children, our freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people. and friends. We are proud of the military that protects our freedom and protects our lives. The president also made many suggestions that Paisley incorporated into the final verse. Paisley wants a video clip of their conversation to be included in his video of the music for “Same Here.”
On Thursday (February 23), Paisley posted a video on his Instagram account referencing the new album and songs.Many of the comments were supportive, but unsurprisingly, quite a few were critical of his pro-Ukraine support. (featuring cover artwork by his eldest son), and subsequent posts feature snippets of his appearances Fox & Friends this morning.
His team turned off comments on the post today. [the song] stand alone. I don’t want to be a site for bots to spend their days. I want it to be a pure place to see what I’m saying,’ he says. did not. “
However, Paisley adds: Everyone’s opinion matters. So those who hate it are as valid as I am. they can hate it. that’s okay. I’m fine with that “I hope you hear otherwise. If I lost you, I lost you.”
Paisley says the song fits perfectly on his new album about “a West Virginia kid looking at the world today.” He won’t give many details just yet, but says another song on the album addresses the opioid crisis: West Virginia hit hardest of all states by drug overdoses. There are other task-oriented songs, but he adds: I wouldn’t do it differently than George Jones or Merle Haggard. ”
As for the album’s other guests, he’s kept quiet, but laughingly added that Zelensky is the only world president to make a cameo on set later this year.